An exploration of job stress and health in the Norwegian police service: a cross sectional study

BACKGROUND: Police work is regarded as a high-stress occupation, but so far, no nationwide study has explored the associations between work stress and health. AIMS: To explore physical and mental health among Norwegian police and associations to job stress. Comparisons were made with a nationwide sample of Norwegian physicians and the general Norwegian population. METHODS: Comprehensive nationwide questionnaire survey of 3,272 Norwegian police at all hierarchical levels, including the Norwegian Police Stress Survey with two factors (serious operational tasks and work injuries), the Job Stress Survey with two factors (job pressure and lack of support), the Basic Character Inventory, the Subjective Health Complaint questionnaire, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, and Paykel's Suicidal Feelings in the General Population. RESULTS: The frequency of job pressure and lack of support was mainly associated to physical and mental health problems. Females showed higher means on anxiety symptoms than males (4.2, SD 2.9 and 3.7, SD 2.9, respectively; p < 0.01), while males showed higher means on depressive symptoms (3.1, SD 2.9 and 2.4, SD 2.5, respectively; p < 0.001). Police reported more subjective health complaints, depersonalization and higher scores on three of four personality traits than physicians, but lower scores on anxiety and depressive symptoms than the general population. CONCLUSION: This is the first nationwide study to explore job stress and physical and mental health in police. The results indicate that Norwegian police have high levels of musculoskeletal health problems mainly associated to the frequency of job pressure and lack of support. However, also frequent exposure to work injuries was associated to health problems. This may indicate that daily routine work as well as police operational duties must be taken into consideration in assessing job stress and police health

Single Professional Women: A Global Phenomenon Challenges and Opportunities

This paper presents the globalization of elite single professional women (SPW) as the first new global sociological phenomenon of the twenty-first century. We trace the economic roots of the phenomenon and how female empowerment interacts with the psychological prerequisites for mating. We then trace how the phenomenon is being expressed outside of the United States, in India, Poland, and Germany. We conclude by putting these observations into a historical perspective and briefly listing possible strategies for responding, adapting, and maximizing one’s options

Godvilje i motvind? : om inkluderende arbeidsliv i statlige virksomheter

This study examines the implementation of the programme Inclusive Working Life (IWL) in state-owned enterprises at regional level from the perspectives of both the leaders and the employees. Attention has been given to organizing and institutional frames, the status of the IWL work and their experiences connected to this, how they evaluate the significance of the IWL work, and the challenges for future work. The data is based upon interviews with one representative for the leaders and one for the employees in each enterprise. One aim of this study was to compare our findings with a similar study we carried out in 2003-04 in the same enterprises. This present study shows that reorganizing is still a primary focus in the enterprises and the demand for efficiency has a tendency to dominate the demands for inclusion. But the IWL work is more systematic and there is a better integration in the HMS (Health, Environment, and Safety) work. The goal of reducing sick leave has still the highest priority. Concerning the second goal of including employees with any kind of disability, employees who already have a job in the enterprises are given priority. Some of the enterprises have taken the initiative to establish apprenticeships or internships, but only on a small scale. There were also variations among the enterprises in respect of the objective of retaining elderly people. If the state enterprises are going to be frontrunners in implementing the goals in the IWL agreement, the main challenges will involve changing the institutional frames, anchoring the IWL work better in the line management and increasing the competence of the leaders at different levels, and improving the cooperation with external collaborative partners like NAV and doctors.Denne studien undersøker hvordan seks statlige virksomheter jobber med implementering av Avtalen om inkluderende arbeidsliv sett fra både ledernes og se ansattes ståsted. Temaene for undersøkelsen er for det første hvilke rammebetingelse dette arbeidet foregår innenfor, og hvordan er IA-arbeidet organisert. For det andre er det en kartlegging av status for IA-arbeidet og hvilke erfaringer som er gjort i arbeidet med de tre delmålene i IAavtalen. For det tredje undersøker vi hvordan virksomhetene selv vurderer måloppnåelsen og betydningen av IA-arbeidet, og til slutt presenteres noen sentrale utfordringer for IAarbeidet fremover. Datamaterialet er basert på intervju med representanter for ledelsen og ansatte i virksomhetene på regionalt nivå. En delmålsetting med undersøkelsen som her presenteres, var å gjøre en sammenlikning med en lignende undersøkelse vi gjennomførte i 2003-04 i de samme virksomhetene. Studien viser at IA-arbeid i stor grad fremdeles blir påvirket av fokus på omstilling i virksomhetene, effektivitetskravene har en tendens til å overstyre inkluderingshensynene. Men det er mer systematikk, spesielt sykefraværsarbeidet, og det er en bedre kobling mellom IA-arbeid og HMS-arbeid. Delmål 1, oppfølging av sykemeldte, vies fortsatt størst oppmerksomhet. I arbeidet med delmål 2, inkludering av personer med nedsatt funksjonsevne, blir arbeid med å legge til rette for egne ansatte som trenger tilpasning, prioritert. Det er også gjennomført tiltak for å opprette lærlinge- og tiltaksplasser, men i begrenset omfang av. Det er varierende i hvor stor grad virksomhetene arbeider aktivt med delmål 3, å få eldre til å stå lenger i arbeid. Viss de statlige virksomhetene skal kunne bli foregangsvirksomheter for IA-arbeid, handler utfordringene blant annet om å endre rammebetingelsene i organisasjonen, å forankre IAarbeidet bedre i linjeledelsen og øke lederkompetansen på dette arbeidet, samt å få til et bedre samarbeid med samarbeidspartnere som NAV og spesielt legene

Reversible inactivation of the transcriptional function of P53 protein by farnesylation

BACKGROUND: The use of integrating viral vectors in Gene therapy clinical trials has pointed out the problem of the deleterous effect of the integration of the ectopic gene to the cellular genome and the safety of this strategy. We proposed here a way to induce the death of gene modified cells upon request by acting on a pro-apoptotic protein cellular localization and on the activation of its apoptotic function. RESULTS: We constructed an adenoviral vector coding a chimeric p53 protein by fusing p53 sequence with the 21 COOH term amino acids sequence of H-Ras. Indeed, the translation products of Ras genes are cytosolic proteins that become secondarily associated with membranes through a series of post-translational modifications initiated by a CAAX motif present at the C terminus of Ras proteins. The chimeric p53HRCaax protein was farnesylated efficiently in transduced human osteosarcoma p53-/- cell line. The farnesylated form of p53 resided mainly in the cytosol, where it is non-functional. Farnesyl transferase inhibitors (FTIs) specifically inhibited farnesyl isoprenoid lipid modification of proteins. Following treatment of the cells with an FTI, p53HRCaax underwent translocation into the nucleus where it retained transcription factor activity. Shifting p53 into the nucleus resulted in the induction of p21(waf1/CIP1 )and Bax transcription, cell growth arrest, caspase activation and apoptosis. CONCLUSION: Artificial protein farnesylation impaired the transcriptional activity of p53. This could be prevented by Farnesyl transferase inhibition. These data highlight the fact that the artificial prenylation of proteins provides a novel system for controlling the function of a transactivating factor

Reinstating Vacated Findings in Employment Discrimination Class Actions: Reconciling General Telephone Co. v. Falcon With Hill v. Western Electric Co.

Type 2 T-helper cell (Th2)-skewed immunity is associated with successful pregnancy and the ability to easily direct immune responses to a Th2-polarised profile may be an evolutionary benefit. The Th2-like immunity associated with allergic disease might generate favourable effects for the maintenance of pregnancy, but could also promote development of Th2-like immune responses and allergic disease in the offspring. The aim of this study was to explore, by using IgE as a stable proxy for Th2, the Th1/Th2 balance in allergic and non-allergic women by measuring allergen-specific and total IgE antibody levels in plasma during pregnancy and after delivery. Specific and total IgE antibody levels were determined by ImmunoCAP technology at five occasions during pregnancy (gestational weeks 10-12, 15-16, 25, 35 and 39), as well as at 2 and 12 months after delivery. Thirty-six women without and 20 women with allergic symptoms were included, of whom 13 were sensitised with allergic symptoms and 30 were non-sensitised without allergic symptoms. The levels of total IgE, but not allergen-specific IgE, were increased during early pregnancy when compared to 12 months after delivery in the sensitised women with allergic symptoms, but not in the non-sensitised women without allergic symptoms (pandlt;0.01). This increase in total IgE levels during early pregnancy only in the sensitised women with allergic symptoms indicates that allergy is associated with an enhanced Th2 deviation during pregnancy.Original Publication: Martina Sandberg, Anne Frykman, Yvonne Jonsson, Marie Persson, Jan Ernerudh, Göran Berg, Leif Matthiesen, Christina Ekerfelt and Maria Jenmalm, Total and allergen-specific IgE levels during and after pregnancy in relation to maternal allergy, 2009, JOURNAL OF REPRODUCTIVE IMMUNOLOGY, (81), 1, 82-88. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jri.2009.04.003 Copyright: Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam. http://www.elsevier.com/</p

The Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) – Differences between the US and the Norwegian Normative Samples

Summary: The Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) is a standardized procedure for assessing childrens’ abilities, developed in the USA. It is widely used in child rehabilitation, also in Norway. A representative sample of Norwegian children in ten age groups is compared to the original American standardizing sample. On a large number of points, Norwegian and American children were shown to be different. In the assessment of Norwegian children, therefore, they should be compared to the Norwegian sample, not to the American norms for the PEDI test

A Salutogenic Approach for Collaboration in Health and Technology

Through collaboration, health services and health-promoting environments can be influenced by patients, health professionals, and stakeholders. Antonovsky’s concept of salutogenesis includes the promotion of a sense of coherence, where the feeling of meaningfulness and people’s ability to influence their own situation is central. These concepts were the units of analysis in this embedded case study, including an educational project analyzed in relation to relevant research projects. The educational project was the development of a new master course, “Interaction in health and technology,” for students with different background in health-related education, including radiography, occupational therapy, biomedicine, biomedical laboratory science, artificial intelligence, and design. Through a qualitative content analysis, pitfalls and success criteria for collaboration in health and technology within a salutogenic theoretical framework were identified. These included user understanding of diagnostic value by artificial intelligence through visualization, user journeys for better health services, patient opinions about assistive technology, and developing understandable AI models. An interdisciplinary understanding of a sense of coherence as described in this study can strengthen collaboration in health and technology. The results of the current case study show also the potential for replication of the approach in different sites in various countries

High Protein Oral Nutritional Supplements Enable the Majority of Cancer Patients to Meet Protein Intake Recommendations during Systemic Anti-Cancer Treatment:A Randomised Controlled Parallel-Group Study

ESPEN guidelines recommend a minimum protein intake of 1.0 g/kg body weight (BW) per day to maintain or restore lean body mass in patients with cancer. During anti-cancer treatment, optimal protein intake is difficult to achieve. We investigated whether a high-protein, low-volume oral nutritional supplement (ONS) supports patients in meeting recommendations. A multi-centre, randomised, controlled, open-label, parallel-group study was carried out in nine hospitals (five countries) between January 2019 and July 2021 in colorectal and lung cancer patients undergoing first-line systemic treatment with chemo(radio-) or immunotherapy. Subjects were randomised (2:1) to receive Fortimel Compact Protein® or standard care. Protein intake was assessed with a 3-day food diary (primary outcome). BW was a secondary outcome. Due to challenges in recruitment, the study was terminated prematurely with 42 patients randomised (intervention group (IG) 28; control group (CG) 14). At T1 and T2, protein intake was statistically significantly higher in the IG compared to the CG (1.40 vs. 1.07 g/kg/day at T1, p = 0.008; 1.32 vs. 0.94 g/kg/day at T2, p = 0.002). At baseline, only 65% (IG) and 45% (CG) of patients met ESPEN minimum protein intake recommendations. However, at T1 and T2 in the IG, a higher proportion of patients met recommendations than in the CG (88% vs. 55% and 40%). No statistically significant difference between study groups was observed for BW. Mean compliance to the ONS was 73.4%. A high-protein, low-volume ONS consumed twice daily enables the majority of patients to reach minimal ESPEN protein recommendations.</p

High Protein Oral Nutritional Supplements Enable the Majority of Cancer Patients to Meet Protein Intake Recommendations during Systemic Anti-Cancer Treatment:A Randomised Controlled Parallel-Group Study

ESPEN guidelines recommend a minimum protein intake of 1.0 g/kg body weight (BW) per day to maintain or restore lean body mass in patients with cancer. During anti-cancer treatment, optimal protein intake is difficult to achieve. We investigated whether a high-protein, low-volume oral nutritional supplement (ONS) supports patients in meeting recommendations. A multi-centre, randomised, controlled, open-label, parallel-group study was carried out in nine hospitals (five countries) between January 2019 and July 2021 in colorectal and lung cancer patients undergoing first-line systemic treatment with chemo(radio-) or immunotherapy. Subjects were randomised (2:1) to receive Fortimel Compact Protein® or standard care. Protein intake was assessed with a 3-day food diary (primary outcome). BW was a secondary outcome. Due to challenges in recruitment, the study was terminated prematurely with 42 patients randomised (intervention group (IG) 28; control group (CG) 14). At T1 and T2, protein intake was statistically significantly higher in the IG compared to the CG (1.40 vs. 1.07 g/kg/day at T1, p = 0.008; 1.32 vs. 0.94 g/kg/day at T2, p = 0.002). At baseline, only 65% (IG) and 45% (CG) of patients met ESPEN minimum protein intake recommendations. However, at T1 and T2 in the IG, a higher proportion of patients met recommendations than in the CG (88% vs. 55% and 40%). No statistically significant difference between study groups was observed for BW. Mean compliance to the ONS was 73.4%. A high-protein, low-volume ONS consumed twice daily enables the majority of patients to reach minimal ESPEN protein recommendations.</p